


Vanilla Almond

by TinyValiance



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Coffee Shop Related Analogies, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Vegan AU sounds like a shitpost im laughing, Vegetarians & Vegans, i am a vegetarian so i was like hey why not force a few characters to be for art purposes, im laughing so hard at that tag, its all in good humour i promise, jinhwan is junhoes vocal music TA holla, junhoe is a lit student that could give rupi kaur a run for her money, my ao3 prompt for junhwan was as follows, obang is the best wingman, second chapter is junhwan focused, warning: vegan handjobs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-09 14:44:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15269724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyValiance/pseuds/TinyValiance
Summary: His converse were a little scuffed, his grey sweatpants very flattering, his white shirt inviting, his lips and hair shining and soft, and Hanbin just looked like every single reason Bobby felt at home all wrapped up in the cinnamon-scented aroma of a coffee shop.The one where Bobby works at a vegan café and Hanbin likes to share banana ice cream with his dog.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ♥ PLEASE READ! THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!♥
> 
> 1\. I want to make it clear that these people in the story are just characters based on real people. This is my interpretation of them. My writing does not reflect on any real people involved in this story. Please do not repost this story anywhere or post a link to this story anywhere. Tumblr is the only exception. I do not want it on Twitter, Instagram, or anywhere a member of iKon or any other kpop star in this story can see it (if they see it on Tumblr, then whatever, Tumblr feels more private). Do not send this story to them. Please keep this story safe here! Respect their privacy and mine.
> 
> 2\. WARNINGS: light swearing and explicit language, Koo Junhoe. Also I just want to note that I DO _**NOT**_ CONDONE FAT DOGS no matter how cute they are!! Take care of your dogs they deserve a long and happy life!!!!
> 
> 3\. Please comment! No matter how long the story is up, I will always appreciate comments. I love all feedback. Nice comments are appreciated more than you know. Also, I am not perfect, I want to improve! If you think I could do something better in terms of characterization, grammar and wording (etc), please tell me. Take care and thank you for reading! xo.
> 
> 4\. This story is like... crack-fluff hybrid. It is just meant to be something cute and sweet! Also I love Obang!! I always put Yeobo in my stories but never him ): I found out that dogs can eat bananas and was like... hey. Yeah. This is good.
> 
> 5\. Not to start any kind of drama but to everyone saying "double b is dead"... yall know you can have more than one friend, right? Anyway double b is eternal, this is so joyous Alexa play Anthem.

With a final sprinkling of chia seeds for décor, Bobby completed the two smoothie bowls to be transported to their tables in the café. “DONGHYUK!”

Donghyuk twirled over to the counter in the kitchen. “Can you control your volume?” he asked, but he was smiling without really smiling, so Bobby knew he was still okay.

Donghyuk appraised his smoothie bowl, spooning a bit of the avocado concoction into his mouth. Honestly, Bobby did not think he would ever get the hang of these weird hipster dishes, but he was a week into his job at the vegan café, and he was getting pretty decent at the job. “Mm,” Donghyuk reported. “Not bad. Too much avocado though, needs more vanilla almond milk. Don’t blend it so hard next time.”

Bobby laughed at the criticism. It was just avocado mush. Donghyuk gave him a faux-stern look and carried the food out from the kitchen. He called, “Can you take the cash register?!”

Bobby nodded to himself, wiped his hands on his uniform – jeans and dark t-shirt, unstained (but now stained, again, to Donghyuk’s constant dismay) – and jogged to the cash register.

“Hey,” he greeted with a smile. “How can I help you?”

Through his happily curved eyes he saw a boy smiling at him in return. Bobby’s heart fluttered a little. He was cute.

“Hi,” the boy said. His voice was cute. “Can I get one nice cream in a cone?”

Bobby rang him up. “I could bring it to your table if you don’t want to stand around?”

“No thanks,” the boy said. “We’re just getting it to go.”

“We?” Bobby asked. He peered over the counter. A fat little pug sat plopped on the floor, panting and bouncing as he did so. Bobby absolutely lit up. “ _Cute!!_ ”

The boy said, “This is Obang,” and continued, “and I’m Hanbin.”

Bobby laughed. “Hey, Obang.” He lifted his head to meet Hanbin’s eyes. Hanbin’s cheeks had gone a little pinker, and his eyelashes fluttered when Bobby caught his gaze again. Bobby tried to hide his gasp under a cough. “Hey, Hanbin. I’m Bobby.”

Hanbin smiled, pursing his lips together in a cute little line, and looked down. Bobby looked down as well and headed to the blender to make Hanbin’s banana ice cream.

He returned a few minutes later. Donghyuk had already taken and made another drink order and urged Bobby to move his no-butt along.

“Seriously,” Donghyuk teased, “what kind of gym rat has not a single gram of ass to show for it?”

“ _YAH!_ ” Bobby yelled as Donghyuk walked around the counter. “I do so have ass-grams!” and patted his butt in Donghyuk’s direction.

Bobby heard a muffled snicker. He turned, mortified, to see Hanbin covering his mouth with the shirt-mitten his long sleeve made over his cute hand, eyes smiling.

Bobby stammered, not wanting to sound like a cam-boy, “I… I didn’t mean, like, on Instagram…”

Hanbin giggled again. Bobby bit his lips together to shut himself up. He simply bowed and offered Hanbin the banana cream cone with both hands.

Hanbin gingerly accepted the cone and thanked him. Bobby could not bear to make eye contact. He sent Hanbin on his way, hoping his mortification did not come off as disrespect.

Then he heard Hanbin say, “Do you want your share now, Obang-ah?” followed by a small bark. Bobby had to check it out. He discreetly glanced over the counter to see the nice cream had a bite taken out of it, cream glossed over Hanbin’s cute lips. Hanbin offered the cone to Obang, who impressively consumed the rest of the nice cream and a good portion of the cone in a single bite.

Bobby snorted and ducked behind the counter to avoid laughing directly at a customer. Bobby heard Donghyuk say, “Ah, cute!! Have a good day, man!” presumably to Hanbin.

After getting his giggles out, Bobby wiped his eyes and stood up. He was immediately met with the disappointed glare of his senior co-worker. Bobby sniffled and ruffled Donghyuk’s hair. Donghyuk broke down in giggles.

-☼-

A few days later, Bobby delivered a soy cappuccino to where Junhoe sat at his usual window seat. He leaned over his notebook, poem half-scribbled onto pages dowsed in sunlight, glasses pushed up on his nose. He looked up when he heard the clinking sound of ceramic against wood. Bobby was blinded momentarily by either the glare on his glasses, or the sheer glow of his gorgeous eyes; it was hard to tell which one with Junhoe. He was too handsome to be sure.

“Thanks,” Junhoe grumbled.

Bobby raised his eyebrows. “You alright?” because mood too was hard to be sure of with the creative writing major.

Junhoe sighed. “I’m stuck on this assignment. What rhymes with ‘desolation’?”

Bobby blinked. “I’ll send Donghyuk over.” Donghyuk was the smart one after all.

Junhoe sighed deeply. “I wish I could thank you.”

Bobby pursed his lips and looked up. He saw Hanbin walking through the front doors. Bobby gasped. Hanbin was just as cute as he was a few days before. And Obang was with him again, fat as ever and toddling his way along, _so cute_.

Junhoe, apparently curious, turned around in his seat. “Who’s he?”

Bobby clued back in. “Oh,” he said. “Nobody. Hanbin.”

Junhoe turned to him with a raised brow. Bobby could only look at Junhoe from the corner of his eye, like the sun. “So which one is he? Nobody, or Hanbin?”

“Hanbin,” Bobby answered, hastily, and wondered how it was so easy for Junhoe to get under his skin. “But he’s nobody. I mean, not in a mean way. Just nobody to me. Yet.”

Junhoe raised his other eyebrow along with the first. Bobby decided to stop enabling the down-spiral of this conversation and headed to the counter.

“Hey,” Bobby said to Donghyuk. “Junhoe’s having trouble with words.”

“And how exactly is that breaking news?”

“He wants you to help him with an assignment.”

“Doubtful,” Donghyuk said, “but I’ll investigate anyway. Can you make the guy’s nice cream?”

Bobby nodded. Donghyuk skipped his smart ass out from behind the counter and in the direction of Junhoe’s table.

With a fluttery heart, Bobby made the order. He tried the hardest he had ever tried to follow Donghyuk’s improvement advice. He wanted this to be good.

He brought the carefully assembled cone to the counter and was met with Hanbin’s beautiful eyes. They had somehow gotten shinier over the past few days. Was he eating better? Or going outside more? Perhaps the shine was a reflection off his golden skin. Hanbin’s whole existence seemed to be coated in agave.

“Hello, Hanbin,” Bobby said, the name sweet on his tongue. He offered the cone out.

Hanbin blinked, eyes widening. Bobby did not even know that was possible. He could (and would) get lost in those big brown eyes. But it could (and would) be a good kind of lost. Bobby could make a home there.

“You remembered my name?” Hanbin asked.

Bobby melted. “Of course,” he said. How could he forget? “And hi again, Obang-ah~”

Obang panted and bounced and wagged his stubby little tail.

Hanbin said, “Oh…”

Bobby looked back up, lips stuck in a smile. Hanbin, as if startled, smiled back. So that was a little odd, but whatever. It was cute-odd.

“Oh!” Hanbin said, this time with urgency, and quickly took the nice cream cone. A laugh bubbled out of Bobby’s chest.

Hanbin looked down. “Thanks,” he said. He delicately wrapped his lips around the banana cream, sucked it into his mouth, his eyes flicked up to meet Bobby’s—

And Bobby nearly had a panic attack, shit. He felt that palpitation in his chest. He looked away. He heard the sound of Obang snuffling and demanding.

He collected a rag and cleaning liquid to wipe down a table. He said goodbye to Hanbin, and Hanbin said goodbye and left, Obang indefatigably waddling behind him as always. Bobby sighed and went out into the café to the empty table beside Donghyuk and Junhoe.

“Why do you care so much about doing well on this?” Donghyuk asked. “Aren’t you sleeping with your TA?”

“I’m not sleeping with my creative writing TA, I’m sleeping with my vocal music TA. And even if Jinhwan _was_ my creative writing TA, how would that get me a good mark?”

“Couldn’t you, like, fuck him for extra credit?”

“No? He’s nearly failed me twice already, even after I started sleeping with him. Jinhwan’s a total dick.”

“Then why are you sleeping with him?”

“That _is_ why I’m sleeping with him.”

Bobby just sighed. He went over to Junhoe’s table. “Refill?” he asked. Junhoe sighed and nodded. Bobby smacked Donghyuk’s butt with the cleaning rag. “You heard the customer. Get back to work.”

“You can’t talk to your sunbae like that!” Donghyuk argued. “I raised you on my back! You didn’t even know what a soybean _was_ when you first got here!”

Bobby walked away, laughing to himself, as Donghyuk yelled, “I _made_ you!!” to which Junhoe exclaimed, “ _That’s it!_ ” and wrote something down in his notebook. So all was well.

-☼-

As Bobby set down two salad bowls on their table, he felt something bump his leg. He looked down to see Obang eating a sliver of lettuce that had fallen onto Bobby’s shoe.

“Obang-ah!” He cheered. Obang snuffled and happily bounced. Bobby bent down to give the fat little bread loaf a scratch behind the ears. Obang panted and tried to lick Bobby’s hand.

A pair of red converse approached the two. Bobby stood up to meet the shining eyes of Hanbin once more.

“Hey,” Bobby said.

“Hey,” Hanbin responded.

Hanbin’s hair, dusty like brown sugar, hung loosely on his forehead like always. His clothes were white and blue, simple, and flattering but comfortable. And he owned a _pug._ He was the type of guy that made coffee shops so romantic for the storybooks.

Obang snuffled to remind them both of his presence. Bobby subconsciously reached down to give him another pat on the head while maintaining eye contact with Hanbin. He stood upright again.

Hanbin diverted his gaze and looked down at Obang. “Is it okay to take him off his leash in here?” He asked. “He was getting a little tired of being dragged around, and… he’s too fat to run away. So.” Bobby laughed, nose scrunching and eyes closing tight. Hanbin hastily added, “We do keep him on a healthy diet! I promise. I don’t know how he got this fat.”

Bobby’s eyes fluttered open again. He reasoned, “You do give him a lot of ice cream.”

Hanbin’s eyes widened as if scandalized. “Only vegan ice cream! It’s just banana.”

“Speaking of banana,” Bobby said, and regretted using the term ‘banana’ when he could have used ‘ice cream’, “do you want to order?”

“Oh, yeah,” Hanbin said. “But I’m getting something for me too this time. We’re going to sit. Obang wants to sit down.”

Bobby looked to the floor to see Obang had lied down on his side. He panted and licked his own nose. A few girls at a nearby table squealed and complimented him.

Hanbin sighed. “What do I do…”

Bobby laughed again and assured Hanbin that it was fine to let Obang walk free, as he did not seem like a threat to the peace. He led Hanbin to the counter so he could take their order. Hanbin ordered a sandwich, a cup of tea, and a small nice cream bowl, but promised to eat the majority of it. He then went to find a seat.

Bobby took a moment to sigh to himself about how freaking cute Hanbin was. Chanwoo, his co-worker, noticed, and said, “You seem tired. Want me to make the order?”

“Hell no,” Bobby said. “This is _my_ order.”

Chanwoo laughed and finished making the foam leaf in the latte. He carefully carried it out from behind the counter and went on his way.

Bobby got to work putting all his love and care into Hanbin’s food. Chanwoo returned as Bobby was putting the finishing touches on Hanbin’s grilled veggie sandwich.

“So,” Chanwoo asked. “Who’s _your_ order _?_ ”

Bobby bit his lip in contemplation for a moment. Chanwoo seemed safe. He would tread lightly. “Did you see the guy with the fat pug?”

Chanwoo raised his eyebrows, smirk tugging at one corner of his lips. Bobby smiled and looked down, carefully arranging the arugula once more. This formation surely looked more presentable.

Chanwoo said, “Well, good luck with your order. It looks good.”

Bobby gave a short chuckle through his nose. “I don’t even know if it’s on the menu.”

Chanwoo asked, “Seriously? But he’s a vegan. Aren’t all guy-vegans gay?”

Bobby choked a little on his laugh. “That’s a generalization. Some of them are bi.” Chanwoo snorted a laugh back. “Besides, I don’t even know if he’s a vegan. He comes here to buy nice cream for his dog. Also, your worldview needs improvement.”

Chanwoo sighed and nodded, taking responsibility for his nonsensical paradigms.

Bobby finished his masterpieces and carried the tea and nice cream to Hanbin first, setting the sandwich aside. He figured Obang would want his treat first. It would not be fair to make him sit and watch Hanbin eat.

“Here you go,” he set the bowl in front of Hanbin with a spoon and set his tea down next to it.

Hanbin thanked him. Obang stared at the bowl with wide, watery eyes where he looked over the table, barely tall enough to rest his chin on the edge. God, he was so damn _cute_. Bobby gave the dog a pet that prompted Obang to open his mouth to pant and drop his tongue on the table.

“Obang-ah…” Hanbin said, sounding defeated. “We’re in a nice place…”

Bobby giggled and said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll clean the table after.”

“You shouldn’t have to…”

“I’ll be happy to,” Bobby assured. He made sure to squish his eyes shut even smaller, for emphasis. This fat little pug was the highlight of Bobby’s day, along with his owner, of course. Hanbin gave a sort of nervous smile back. It seemingly had a mirror effect on Bobby, because Bobby was suddenly too bashful to look at him anymore. He gave Obang another pat and went to get Hanbin’s sandwich.

Along the way, Yunhyeong flagged Bobby down where he sat on the couch by the window, perfect skin gilded gold and plump lips shining. A book was open in his hands, coffee on the table, milk in a separate frothing jug.

Bobby plopped down on the couch beside him, causing them both to jiggle. Yunhyeong sighed but smiled. Bobby, smiling back, asked, “Can I help you, sir?”

“Just curious,” he said, “but since when do you like dogs?”

“What?” Bobby asked. “I’ve always liked dogs. I like cats better, and I have a cat, but dogs are cute too.”

“Mm,” Yunhyeong said. Bobby wondered if models always had to be camera ready for some reason, or if Yunhyeong just had a stick up his ass. His posture was unreal. “Anyway, can you get me another cherry scone?”

Bobby raised his eyebrows. “Won’t your company be mad if you get fat?”

Yunhyeong sighed loudly, pain etched onto his handsome features, as he dramatically slumped and whined, “Seriously, they’ll be angrier if I make a scene in public, so get it now.”

Bobby said, “Aish, calm down, diva,” and got up off the couch. “I’ll get Chanwoo to bring it to you.”

“Please don’t,” Yunhyeong deadpanned. “He’s a rude kid. He’s a Tiger _and_ an Aquarius so he knows no fear.”

“I don’t know what that means, I’m not a vegan,” Bobby replied, and left Yunhyeong on the couch to sulk in his guy-vegan woes.

He picked up the sandwich plate as cautiously as his genetically shaky hands could manage. He told Chanwoo, “Bring Yunhyeong a cherry scone and take his money for it, please. And don’t be mean to him.”

Chanwoo just gave Bobby a mischievous smirk. Oh well, he tried. He carried the sandwich out to Hanbin.

Obang was lapping up the remains of the nice cream in the bowl when Bobby arrived. He set the sandwich down in front of Hanbin. “Do you want me to bring some water for Obang?”

“Oh,” Hanbin said, “no, we’re good. I have his water in my bag, actually,” he gestured to the drawstring knapsack under their table. “He’s not actually thirsty. He just breathes like that.”

Bobby gazed at the marvelous creature. Said marvelous creature dropped his head on the table as though eating the mashed banana had exhausted him. Bobby said, “It makes me sad, but he’s so funny.”

Hanbin gave a short laugh and said, “That’s how I usually feel. Do you like dogs?”

“Sure,” Bobby nodded, “but I’m more of a cat person.”

“Do you have a cat?”

“Yeah,” Bobby smiled at the thought of her. “Her name is Yeobo.”

Hanbin smiled back. “That’s cute. I like cats as well.”

Bobby breathed in deeply and smelled vanilla milk and cinnamon rolls and knew he had to be falling into something romantic here.

Donghyuk crashed into Bobby’s side, nearly causing him to stumble. “Dude, you have tables,” he said, and pulled Bobby along. Bobby grumbled and said a quick goodbye to Hanbin and Obang, and Hanbin waved him off.

Before Bobby could thoroughly vent his displeasure towards Donghyuk, the boy said, “Come on, if we pretend we’re cleaning tables we might be able to witness the Monster Twins throw down.”

Bobby laughed and nuzzled his forehead against Donghyuk’s temple before shoving him away to get back to work.

-☼-

Bobby was rinsing fruit behind the counter when a customer approached. He was cute, like a fairy, hair pulled back in a small, fluffy ponytail. Bobby immediately felt shy talking to him, as he did with all cute boys, and greeted, “Can I help you, sir?”

“Ah, yes,” he said softly. “I’m looking for Koo Junhoe? He asked me to meet him here, and told me to ask the staff if I can’t find him.”

Bobby blinked. What did this vegan nymph want with Junhoe? _Oh!_ Bobby smiled brightly, “You’re the Sexy TA!”

The Sexy TA ducked his head a little, as if shy. Bobby smiled adoringly. “Uh, I guess so. My name is Jinhwan, in case he didn’t mention that.”

Donghyuk returned and placed a few dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. When he walked out, Bobby caught his arm. “Hey,” he said, “do you know where Junhoe is?”

“Why?” Donghyuk asked. Bobby nodded to the counter. Donghyuk approached Jinhwan with a look of curiosity. “Oh!” he said. He snapped his fingers. “The Sexy TA!”

Jinhwan nodded and answered softly, “Yeah, and you know, I also have a name…”

Donghyuk skipped around the counter and said, “You can wait for him at his usual spot.”

“Bye, Sexy TA hyung,” Bobby called, and he heard Jinhwan sigh even from the distance away that Donghyuk led him thus far.

The front door opened, and Bobby saw a large cake-log waddle its way in. He absolutely lit up inside and out.

Hanbin walked in wearing skinny jeans and possibly the thinnest white shirt ever to be woven. Bobby could see a tattoo peaking out through the low neckline, could even see where the ink darkened his skin under the wispy fabric of his shirt. Bobby felt his blood pressure spike. He attempted to calm himself down by play catch with himself and an avocado.

Hanbin approached the counter and greeted Bobby how he always did, this time running his fingers through his hair to comb it out of his eyes. “Hey.”

Bobby dropped the avocado. He swooped down to retrieve it and put it back in the avocado crate. He met Hanbin’s eyes again and smiled. “Hey, Hanbin. Hey, Obang!” Obang barked to acknowledge him. Bobby’s heart felt like it was coated in sugar.

Some time passed, but Hanbin did not speak. “Nice cream?” Bobby asked.

As if cluing back in, Hanbin suddenly said, “Nice cream! Yes.”

Just as Bobby was about to ring Hanbin up, Junhoe draped himself over the counter and spoke, almost sighing every word, “Two lattes. Put a Sakura petal on top of them. I need to get across a message about the insubstantiality of the beauty that lives around us.”

“I don’t know what that means, I’m not a vegan,” Bobby repeated. “Wait your turn.”

“Maybe you could write her a poem,” Hanbin said, “if you want her to ask you out.”

Junhoe raised his eyebrows. So did Bobby. Did Hanbin actually just _interpret_ what Junhoe was bitching about?

Junhoe propped himself up on an elbow. “Him.”

Hanbin asked, “Pardon me?”

“I want _him_ to ask me out.”

Bobby held his breath.

“Oh,” Hanbin said. “Well, my advice is the same. You just sound like you could communicate your feelings well through poetry.”

Bobby exhaled.

Junhoe asked, “Are you into poetry?”

“I love it,” Hanbin nodded. “I really love philosophy and poetry. I’m training to be a lyricist and composer, so a background in both of those things is crucial to producing music, in my opinion.”

“ _Exactly,_ ” Junhoe said. “Finally, someone who _gets it_.”

Somehow the dig sounded as though it was aimed in Bobby’s direction. Bobby sighed. It was so not fair that Junhoe was getting further with Hanbin than he was right now, but at least Junhoe’s heart was occupied by someone else at the moment. Darn gay vegans with their poetry and spiritual connectedness. Maybe they were onto something. Bobby pouted to himself as he rang Hanbin up for his order.

Hanbin returned to his conversation with Junhoe after he paid, so Bobby just went to make the nice cream. Donghyuk arrived as Bobby finished, thankfully drawing Junhoe’s attention away from Hanbin.

“Here you go,” Bobby said, and he could not help but smile at Hanbin, no matter what.

And Hanbin always smiled back. It reminded Bobby why happiness was worth seeking out.

“Junhoe, why the fuck do you need to make Jinhwan eat a flower?” Donghyuk spoke beside them. “Can’t I just draw a flower in the foam?”

Junhoe sighed. “Sure. What more could I expect from a philistine?”

Bobby tried to ignore them. Hanbin said, eating the nice cream, “Thanks. I’m taking him on longer walks, now. His exercise regimen is going well so I thought he deserved a treat.”

Hanbin’s love for his loaf of a dog was so sweet. Upon scanning the length of Hanbin’s torso in that white gossamer shirt once more, Bobby was glad for whatever _he_ did to deserve a treat too.

“Good work, Obang-ah!” Bobby cheered, giving him a supportive _fighting_ motion with his fist. Hanbin fed Obang his share of the nice cream. “Stay strong!”

Hanbin laughed. He bent over – Bobby did not look at him dead-on, just out of his peripheral vision, respectfully – and picked Obang up. Hanbin tilted the dog to make him bow. Obang licked his mouth (and the rest of his face) clean of cream as he did so. Hanbin smiled and set Obang back down.

“Uhm…” Hanbin said. He tilted his head and looked contemplatively at the menu. “Maybe I’ll have a smoothie today.”

“Sure,” Bobby said. “What kind?”

“What do you recommend?”

Bobby said, “Honestly? All of them. I never really considered them before I started to work here, but now I’ve had them all, and they’re all good.”

Hanbin smiled and said, “Then just surprise me.”

Bobby rang him up and told Hanbin he would bring the drink to his table. Hanbin bowed and left, Obang already eager to find a place to sit.

As Bobby returned his attention to his coworker, he saw that Donghyuk’s argument with Junhoe had escalated, and Donghyuk was currently trying to beat Junhoe with a baton of spinach. Bobby quickly confiscated Donghyuk’s weapon before their manager could return from her break.

-☼-

On the couch, Junhoe, Jinhwan, and Yunhyeong squished together and played cards while discussing Yunhyeong’s time in Maui, or Jinhwan’s, or whichever vegan’s. Bobby said, “Head’s up!” to the table. Jinhwan looked up and held his hands at the ready. Bobby threw a to-go box containing a blueberry scone in Jinhwan’s direction. Jinhwan caught it.

“Nice!” Donghyuk complimented from a few tables over. “Cute, educated, _and_ athletic!”

Jinhwan sighed. “I also have a personality...”

Junhoe blew a breath out of his lips to fluff his own bangs and slipped an arm around Jinhwan’s shoulders. He did not have to say it out loud to say, _‘Yeah, whatever, babe.’_ Yunhyeong grumpily snatched his scone out of Jinhwan’s hands, dusting off the now slightly crinkled box.

Bobby smiled and turned around to head back to the counter. It was almost time for closing.

“Yah!” Yunhyeong called. “Employee! Before you go, clean our table.”

Bobby turned around and held his hands out. “Song, I’m open!”

Yunhyeong bitchfaced. Junhoe picked up the cup instead. Jinhwan said, “No, June,” but the impulse control was too little too late, because had already Junhoe chucked the empty cup in Bobby’s direction.

Bobby ran to catch the dish, but in doing so, rammed his shoulder into someone standing out of his line of sight. Bobby stopped and gasped. He spun around to apologize and bumped his nose into Hanbin’s. The cup hit the floor and smashed.

Time froze for a minute after that. He was not sure who had witnessed that catastrophe, but all eyes were locked on Bobby. Hanbin blinked, shut his lips, and swallowed.

Luckily, Donghyuk swooped in to save the day and said, “Sir, I’m afraid I have to ask you to leave.”

Junhoe grumbled. He put a couple hundred won in Donghyuk’s hand and trudged out of the café. Jinhwan followed with a hand on Junhoe’s back. Yunhyeong grumbled about taking the bill, blindly dropped the owed amount and a reasonable tip on the table, and speed-walked out to catch up with his unfortunate friends.

Returning his attention to the present… situation, Bobby met Hanbin’s eyes again – sweet and perfectly almond-shaped. Too close. Bobby sheepishly rubbed the back of his own neck. “Uh…” he struggled for an excuse, “Junhoe and I have our issues, but he’s harmless.”

Hanbin blinked. “I won’t tell your boss if you were playing basketball.”

Bobby sighed in relief and dropped his hand from his neck. He put his palms together as if praying. Hanbin, with his fine ass, was a blessing. “Thank you.”

And then Hanbin smiled. At this proximity, he might as well have lit a firework in Bobby’s chest. Bobby’s lips dropped open.

Hanbin realized how close they were and backed off. Bobby noticed and clued back into reality. They both looked in opposite directions.

“So…” Bobby said. “Nice cream?”

Hanbin said, “And a smoothie, please.”

Bobby quickly turned to head back to the counter. Spotting Obang on the floor, he stopped with a shock. “Oh!” he remembered. “Your dog!”

Despite everything, Hanbin gave a breathy laugh. “You forgot?”

Bobby bent down to pet Obang’s head. He was looking good – fitter, and panting less. _Good job!_ Bobby patted his back. _Good work, Obang-ah!_ He looked up at Hanbin, smiling bashfully. “Ehhehh…”

Hanbin smiled back and shrugged a shoulder. “It’s fine.”

**_You’re_** _fine,_ Bobby stopped himself from saying. With a final pat to Obang’s body, he stood up, and returned to work.

Donghyuk glared at Bobby, broom and dustpan in his hands, heading towards the mess of shattered ceramic. “You know,” Donghyuk bit out, “If you hadn’t just embarrassed yourself to hell and back, I would have used this broom to flog you.”

Bobby put on an innocent smile. “Good thing the boss has the day off, right?”

Donghyuk, beating Bobby with the broom while Bobby quietly screamed, said, “I! Am! A! Key-holder! I! Am! Your! Boss!”

Bobby slipped off the torture rack while fake-crying. Donghyuk said, “Next time you want a job, ask Yunhyeong.”

“But then I won’t get a job.”

Donghyuk hissed, “Exactly.”

Bobby shamefully went back to the counter to make Hanbin’s food. He decided to let Hanbin try the acai strawberry smoothie this time, along with his nice cream. He added just the right amount of vanilla almond milk. He took the completed dishes to Hanbin’s table.

Hanbin smiled upon receiving them. “Thanks,” he smiled, with that same flat-lipped grin that Bobby saw on the first day they met. It was still adorable. “Sorry you got in trouble with your boss.”

“Donghyuk is not my boss,” Bobby corrected. “He’s my idiot.”

Hanbin tilted his head to the side, fondly, hair falling gently with it, brown and soft. All of him was brown and soft. Hanbin was a gingerbread man.

Suddenly, Hanbin’s eyes shifted downward to look at the table. “Is he, uhm… _your_ idiot? Like, **_your_** idiot…?”

Bobby tilted his own head and scrunched his eyes half-closed, confused.

Hanbin cleared his throat, “Are you… together?”

Bobby squawked. Hanbin’s eyes flew up to meet Bobby’s once more. Bobby placed his hand on his forehead to brush his hair back and soothe the impending headache. “Oh, no. We wouldn’t last a day.”

Hanbin smiled and laughed quietly, looking down again. “I see.”

A moment of silence followed. Bobby continued, “I’m not dating anybody.”

Hanbin looked up again.

Bobby met his eyes and swallowed with a cottony click.

Donghyuk’s voice shattered the silence like Junhoe and ceramic, “Bo- _BBY._ ”

Bobby startled to attention. “Coming…” and to placate him, he added, “boss…”

He spun around. He caught Hanbin’s smile in his peripheral vision for a moment before he jogged away.

-☼-

Bobby plopped down at an empty table, dropping his cleaning rag on the surface. He sighed.

Jinhwan slipped into the chair in front of him. “Sad?”

Bobby pouted and nodded.

Jinhwan asked, “Because Hanbin didn’t come in on his regular day?”

Bobby looked at Jinhwan under his eyelashes. He nodded. He feared he had finally scared Hanbin off, either with the indoor basketball or the implicit permission to ask him out.

Jinhwan said, “Don’t worry, okay?” he smiled softly. “Some regulars are irregular. Like Junhoe. And you know how that worked out.” He then picked up his to-go cup of herbal tea and headed out.

But Bobby was not a vegan, and did not understand profundity. He sighed again.

On his way out, Chanwoo patted Bobby’s shoulder. “Cheer up, buttercup.”

Bobby patted Chanwoo’s hand in return as a thank you for the heartfelt support.

Then he heard the front door open again, which he assumed must have been one of his friends, or Chanwoo, who forgot something, as they were closing at the time. Then Bobby heard, “Hi,” in Hanbin’s voice. Bobby sprung up.

“Hanbin!” He greeted, sort of. “Sorry, we just closed.” He looked around. “Where’s Obang?”

“Actually,” Hanbin said, and shyly adjusted the collar of his loose shirt. “It’s just me. And I’m not looking to order anything. Are you busy?”

Bobby’s breathing stuttered. After that stunt he pulled last week with the store-owned property basketball, he was not really in any position to ask Donghyuk for lenience. “Uh… actually, Hanbin, I’m…”

Bobby heard a cough from behind him. He turned around. From behind the counter, Donghyuk cupped one hand round his lips like a megaphone and mouthed, “ _Surf!_ ”

Bobby smiled – _thanks bro_. Donghyuk winked and returned to cleaning the counter.

Bobby turned back around, beaming. “Actually, I have five minutes. What’s up?”

Hanbin smiled in return and toed at the floor. His converse were a little scuffed, his grey sweatpants _very_ flattering, his white shirt inviting, his lips and hair shining and soft, and Hanbin just looked like every single reason Bobby felt at home all wrapped up in the cinnamon-scented aroma of a coffee shop.

Hanbin said, “I-I know I’m not Obang, but maybe, since you’re not seeing anyone, we could go on a date together, if you want?”

Bobby’s heart was beating so loudly in his ears he almost missed the weird part of what Hanbin just said. “W… wait, what do you mean, you’re not Obang?”

Hanbin’s cheeks were pink. “I know he’s the one you find cute…”

It took Bobby a moment to process, and he barked a laugh. Hanbin, startled, looked up. Bobby said, gazing at Hanbin through crescent-shaped eyes, “I find both of you cute.”

Hanbin’s lips tugged upward at one corner into a smile. God, his lips were so cute. Bobby found himself leaning in closer.

“Is that a yes?”

Bobby melted all over again. “Yeah.”

Hanbin nodded. He grabbed Bobby’s arm, pulled a pen out of his sweatpants’ pocket. Bobby’s smile held as Hanbin shakily scribbled his number onto Bobby’s skin.

He clicked the pen and put it back into his pocket. “Great. Call me,” he said quickly, nervously. He pecked a kiss onto Bobby’s lips and quickly turned to leave.

“Hanbin!” Donghyuk called. Hanbin paused. Donghyuk jogged over and gave Hanbin some nice cream in a smoothie cup, with a lid. “For Obang.”

Cheeks red as rosehips, Hanbin accepted the treat and bowed to Donghyuk, thanking him. He fled the café without looking at Bobby.

Bobby stood frozen, hand hovering over his lips. He did not even know if he was smiling. He knew nothing, really. Hanbin made him dopey. All he knew in the moment was what love must feel like.

“Yah, Romeo Montague,” Donghyuk addressed him. “When you’re done being a fool, come help me with the dishes.”

Cheekily, Bobby said, “So I never have to help with the dishes?”

“Do you _like_ getting hit?”

Smiling all the way there, Bobby ran back to the counter with the rag he had used to clean the tables. He whipped it across Donghyuk’s butt before snickering mischievously and running into the kitchen. Donghyuk pelted the leftover half of an avocado at Bobby and laughed along with him.


	2. Apple Blossoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _They did not ask each other very many questions, nor did they offer very detailed responses to the questions asked. There was not a whole lot of substance to them past the petals and cyanide. And Junhoe did not want there to be. They were a cliché, and that was what they were supposed to be._
> 
> Junhwan-focused extra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For wolvesgirl, who always supports the tiny additions of Junhwan into my fics and deserved a big addition. ❤
> 
> CHAPTER WARNINGS: Koo Junhoe, light smut that I am not changing the rating for because it is light. 
> 
> Notes:  
> \- I do not attend a college that focuses on the arts and I have never been in an arts-focused program, so I just put this together with my own experience and research. Also I just made this college up. 
> 
> \- The 'rhyming' words you see Donghyuk give Junhoe rhyme in Korean, not English (but barely in Korean lmao). 
> 
> \- "sushi or not sushi" is a play on "to be or not to be", from Hamlet. 
> 
> \- Junhoe is probably my favourite character to write. This was so fun. I hope you like it!

Junhoe slipped his last notebook into his fabric satchel as he jogged to his music TA’s desk. It was barely a week from the start of the semester, so the first assignment had been really basic, just a recap of the notes to get the students to create a sample to show the TA where they were at with their organizational skills. The TA was apparently here because he specialized in vocal music, an area the professor lacked in, and while that was good and all, they were still just doing a lot of theory stuff, so yeah, Junhoe considered this first assignment a throwaway. Whatever. Easy marks.

Hair falling slightly over his eyes, he came to a stop in front of TA’s desk. He did not bother looking up. He just planned on taking his paper and getting out of there.

“Koo Junhoe,” the TA said, “I hope you can do better than this.”

And at that, Junhoe looked up.

Mr. Kim—or, what was this guy’s name? Jinhwan?—held out Junhoe’s assignment. Junhoe snatched it out of his stubby little hand and looked it over. He got a D+. Who even grades this sort of thing?

“What?” Junhoe demanded, but his jaw was too lax from shock to bite how he wanted it to.

Jinhwan titled his head. Two long pieces of hair fell around Jinhwan’s slender face, the rest pulled back in a ponytail. His eyes were dark, almost monochrome, and glassy. Beady. Junhoe narrowed his own eyes and the image of Jinhwan blurred beyond Junhoe’s angry eyelashes.

“Do better,” Jinhwan said. He was sitting on the teacher’s desk, one leg hiked up so his thigh rested on the wooden surface, like he owned the place and did not give a fuck.

Junhoe turned away and left while he still had his dignity.

-♥-

Writing is hard. Junhoe was having a rough time with his assignment. This particular piece of his anthology had him all wrapped up in his emotions with no emotional outlet, because he could not get his fucking words to work, and he had another assignment due in two days that he had not even started… he pressed the cool rim of his wine glass to his overheating forehead. He just needed a break.

The stool beside him squeaked and skirted back inward as the newcomer pulled himself towards the bar. He ordered a Rossini and his voice was soft. Junhoe thought he might have heard it in a dream, but then again, he was half a bottle of wine into his study break.

Junhoe looked up. He blinked. He recognized this guy. Oh! It was the music TA… Jinhan… Jinhwan— that’s right, Jinhwan. Ugh. Junhoe’s nose wrinkled and he looked away. His stomach felt a little fuzzier.

“Hey,” Jinhwan said. Junhoe looked back over, still glowering. Jinhwan looked peaceful as ever. “Need a refill?”

“Are you paying for it?”

Jinhwan paused for a moment, perhaps evaluating the bite in Junhoe’s tone, determining how far he could push before Junhoe drew blood. He said, “I’m offering.”

Junhoe could go for more alcohol. This was one of the only bars in the area that served a damn vegan wine, and Junhoe quite fancied the notion of getting drunk on it without having to spend his own money.

“Then I’ll have a refill.”

The corner of Jinhwan’s lips pulled upward into a smirk. Or like, a small smile, without the mischievous connotation. _Yeah, whatever_ , Junhoe rolled his eyes and looked away. His stomach turned and his chest flushed upward to his cheeks.

The bartender refilled Junhoe’s glass to the brim, as requested, and Junhoe chugged half of it. He burped and threw up a little in his mouth. He swallowed it down. Hiccupped.

Jinhwan drank his Rossini with more grace. He asked, “Stressed?”

“You must be some kind of genius.”

Jinhwan scoffed. “I try my best.”

“Must be how you scored the unpaid teaching gig.”

Jinhwan tilted his head, blond hair falling over his eyes. He shook his head to clear his face of hair. Junhoe noticed it was not in a ponytail tonight. His heart-shaped face looked smaller. Prettier. Junhoe was going to throw up again.

“You know I’m a TA?”

Was he serious? Did Junhoe mean nothing to him as a person? Junhoe wrinkled his nose and pouted. He drank more. “No.”

“Oh,” Jinhwan said, “You’re in one of my classes. Right?”

Metallically, Junhoe bit, “I didn’t come here to talk about my classes.”

And Jinhwan understood he had pushed far enough. “What did you come here to talk about?”

“Nothing. I came here to drink.”

“What do you drink?”

“Anything good. And vegan.”

“Are you vegan?”

“Vegetarian.”

“Me too.”

Junhoe turned his head, but caught himself before he looked Jinhwan in the eyes again. He stared at the boy’s lap, at his dress pants that bulged in his lap. So that was a bad idea. But anyway, Junhoe was just thinking, had he seen this guy at the vegan café his friends worked at? It was near enough to the college. Maybe he had never paid enough attention. Jinhwan was not really one to catch Junhoe’s eyes. Junhoe had a more specific criteria list.

He blinked, looked away from Jinhwan’s crotch. He focused on the rack of alcohol behind the bar. “Good for you.”

“I like it. I feel healthier. Kinda sexier.”

Junhoe blinked and looked at Jinhwan, surprised. Jinhwan sucked on the strawberry that had garnished the edge of his glass. He bit it, took the rest out of his mouth, and laughed. His eyes twinkled. It was kind of cute.

“Mm,” Junhoe grunted. He looked away again. “I guess I’m vegetarian because I’m just cultured.”

Jinhwan scoffed again, more lighthearted. “Guess so.”

Junhoe finished his glass of wine. He side-eyed Jinhwan. Jinhwan smiled and asked the bartender for another refill. Junhoe could get used to this.

“So,” Jinhwan said. “Do you have any hobbies?”

“I like to sing,” Junhoe said, “and I like to write, but that’s one of the reasons why I’m drinking, so I don’t want to think about that right now.”

“Ah,” Jinhwan said. “Want to not think about it at my place?”

This time, Junhoe was truly startled. He stared wide-eyed at Jinhwan. How bold. “You’re kind of… elfish. Not really what I go for.”

Jinhwan smiled as if pained. “And I assume your charming point is your way with words.”

Junhoe narrowed his eyebrows. “I’m a poet.”

“And by that, I assume you think you’re a _good_ poet.”

Junhoe glared. “You’re fiery.” And then, “I could be down for that.”

Jinhwan laughed halfheartedly, “There goes my attempt at romancing you.”

“I’m down for that too. I just like it done _my_ way, so you’re doing alright.”

This time, Jinhwan looked startled. He stared at Junhoe over the rim of his glass.

Junhoe waited for a response, lips pursed. He flipped his hands palm-side up – _are we doing this or not?_

“You’re…” Jinhwan started, contemplatively. “I’m going to get my money’s worth for the drinks tonight, aren’t I?”

This time, Junhoe scoffed – _as if._ He was _way_ more than anyone ever bargained for.

-♥-

The fashion major tilted his head, sipping on a bubble tea he got after dance practice at the company. He was still in his sweats and a t-shirt, but perhaps a different pair than what he exercised in. Even fashionistas need down days, Junhoe supposed.

Hair curiously falling to one side, Donghyuk took the straw out of his mouth and asked, “So you slept with him?”

Junhoe had a friend named Donghyuk, who happened to be his only friend. Junhoe talked to a lot of people but could never manage to form lasting connections. And Donghyuk thought Junhoe was a loudmouthed prick like everyone else did, but Donghyuk had a better heart than everyone else or something, so he stayed. There was also Chanwoo, a kid who also attended their college, and he was cool enough, but Junhoe did not know him as well. So, Donghyuk.

“I mean, I guess,” Junhoe said. “I didn’t tell him how much I already had to drink before he got there, so he suggested we both take three shots of vodka to go home drunk, and I was like, ‘sure, whatever’, because whatever, free alcohol. So I blacked out. But I definitely didn’t get fucked. I don’t feel like I did. I hadn’t showered that day so he probably just sucked me off with a condom on or something.”

“And what did he get out of this?”

“I don’t know, that’s his business.”

Donghyuk stared. Junhoe absently poked at Donghyuk’s blanket, where a stuffed chick sat on the wrinkled comforter. Donghyuk said, “So you might have fucked your TA and you don’t even remember it?”

“Yeah. It’s guilt-free.”

Truthfully, Junhoe did not think they did anything special. He went home with Jinhwan drunk and sloppy, and Jinhwan struck him as too gentlemanly to get off on whatever Junhoe could offer in his state. Junhoe would be shocked if either of them got anything out of the situation. So he could have done better in this scenario. Jinhwan did look gorgeous under the haze of alcohol and yellow lamplight surrounding him like an aura, though. He was certainly not Junhoe’s worst decision. But all that sounded too lame to admit.

“Junhoe…”

“Don’t use that tone on me,” Junhoe narrowed his eyes, crossed his arms. “Okay, fine, I remember rolling around in his bed a little. I remember saying ‘yes’. And I remember making the choice to get too fucked up to remember it. So don’t parent me. I acknowledge my poor decisions and stand by them.”

“You… shock me.”

Junhoe experienced a rare moment of appreciation for his best friend – he appreciated that Donghyuk did not ask ‘why’. Junhoe did not have an answer he cared to share.

The stuffed chick fell over due to Junhoe’s prodding. Relatable. “I’m very interesting.”

“And not hurting for self-confidence, I’ll give you that.”

Junhoe shrugged and said, “It’s what makes me so fun at parties.”

Donghyuk scoffed a laugh. “Yeah, if your idea of ‘fun’ is going deaf during karaoke.”

Junhoe narrowed his eyes. Donghyuk playfully raised his eyebrows and slurped his tea. Best friends are a handful – one was plenty.

-♥-

At least Junhoe could attend school with a clear conscience, because Jinhwan certainly did not let their escapade impact Junhoe’s marks.

After everyone cleared out of the classroom, and the professor left for lunch, Junhoe caught Jinhwan at his desk. He slammed his essay on the wood. “How did I get a fucking B on this? I met all the criteria. And it’s _good_.”

Jinhwan sighed, slipping a stack of notebooks into his book-bag. “It was good, Koo Junhoe, but academically so. You met the criteria, yeah, but only _just_ met it. You need to think deeper and connect with what you’re writing about. Find a style of music that really suits you, spiritually. You’re a poet. You know all about using art to express yourself.”

Junhoe sneered. “And you’re qualified to make that assessment?”

“As a matter of fact,” Jinhwan straightened out a stack of papers on his desk with a _clack_ on the wood, “I _am_.”

Junhoe stepped closer. He put both palms flat on the desk. “I deserve a better grade.”

“I hope you didn’t seriously think that… the thing that happened a few nights ago would get you a better mark.”

“No. You’re just a glorified teacher’s pet. And I’m not an idiot.”

“Then I’m not here to negotiate your mark, Mr. Koo. I’m just here to help your professor out.”

“I’m not here to negotiate my mark. I’m not telling you to change it. I’m telling you what I _deserve_.”

Jinhwan looked up from his papers.

Junhoe narrowed his eyes into even smaller slits. “And I want you to know that I know what I’m worth. This assignment was stupid. Theory is stupid. And in the vocal evaluations, I’ll show you I can express myself. So change it or don’t change it, I don’t give a fuck. But just know I deserve better, because I know the stupid theory.”

There was a pause in which Jinhwan just stared at the paper Junhoe had slammed on his desk. A pause pregnant with consideration.

And after completing his deliberation, Jinhwan pushed Junhoe’s assignment back, unchanged. “I think I was right about you being a bad poet.”

Taken aback, Junhoe stood upright, straightening his back. Jinhwan gave him an apologetic smile that clearly expressed he was sorry for not being sorry at all.

Junhoe took a moment to collect himself. Then, he reached into his bag at his hip, pulled out a notebook.

Jinhwan put his own book-bag on his shoulder. “If you don’t mind—”

Junhoe replaced the essay with a paper he ripped out of his notebook. A poem. He pushed it gently to Jinhwan. He picked up his essay and shoved it in his bag.

Without checking to see if Jinhwan picked up the poem, Junhoe left the classroom. And he did not need to check if Jinhwan acknowledged the poem. Junhoe knew what he was worth.

-♥-

The next day, while walking to class, Junhoe was shoved into an empty bathroom.

Junhoe skidded on the floor, catching his balance as his aggressor slammed the bathroom door shut. “What the fuck, man?”

Jinhwan turned to face him. “What was that?”

Junhoe narrowed his eyes, confused as to what he was being pop-quizzed on. “Guerrilla warfare?”

“No, not—not what I just did here,” Jinhwan said, exasperated. “I mean, what was that thing you left on my desk yesterday?”

Junhoe raised his eyebrows. “A poem.”

“About what?”

_His lips are apple blossoms, sweet cyanide and all, but I like to see how much I can consume before it hurts me._

“You, idiot,” Junhoe deadpanned.

“Why did you write that for me?”

Junhoe crossed his arms and leaned back on the wall. “Because you’re an asshole.”

“That’s not—you can’t… you cannot _possibly_ think that’s what I mean.”

Junhoe simply shrugged. He had not the foggiest idea.

Jinhwan sighed, defeated. He hung his head. Two pieces of his bangs that were not tied up in his ponytail hung over his face like curtains. “You don’t suck.”

“Excuse me?”

Jinhwan lifted his head. “You’re not a bad poet. But you are a loser. Poetry is tacky.”

Junhoe scoffed. “You think I was writing you a love note or something? It just happened. I was inspired. Poetry just comes naturally sometimes, like a headache, or a nightmare.”

Jinhwan blinked. His eyes glinted in the white sunlight that illuminated the bathroom through the cracked window.

He stepped up to Junhoe, and his confidence added inches to his height. “And which one am I?”

Junhoe’s lips dropped open. Hate coursed through him like a rush of adrenaline. His heart pounded. The unspoken answer, of course, was ‘both’.

He grabbed Jinhwan’s waist and pulled their bodies flush together, so Jinhwan could feel how hard he was under his jeans. He could not tell if he lost a challenge here, and he could not tell if losing the challenge was a bad thing.

“Junhoe,” Jinhwan panted. He pushed away from him, taking a step backwards. “We can’t do this anymore. It’s not right on my part.”

“Relax,” Junhoe said, his breathing perfectly steady, voice strong and resolute but otherwise flat. “You’re my music TA. You have nothing over me. You’re just deeper in college debt. Plus, I’m a better singer than you are.”

“Your bravery,” Jinhwan said plainly, “turns me off.”

“So, what, you like to be the one in charge?” Junhoe asked. “Tell me to shut up, then.”

Jinhwan swallowed.

And now Junhoe had an angle. His lips pulled upward into a lopsided smirk, and he stepped forward to close the distance that Jinhwan had overdramatically created between then. “ _Make me_ shut up.”

Jinhwan grabbed Junhoe by his shirt and pinned him against the wall. Junhoe’s smirk broke into a full-blown smile. Jinhwan kicked Junhoe’s feet apart and pressed himself against Junhoe’s thigh.

His tone a low timbre, Jinhwan said, “I hope you don’t moan like you sing.”

Junhoe scoffed. “I hope you don’t fuck like you teach.”

Jinhwan grabbed him by his shoulders and threw him into a bathroom stall. He slammed the door with a metallic _crash_ behind them.

-♥-

In class, Junhoe carried on a discussion with his seatmate, something important about the current Inkigayo winners.

“Koo Junhoe,” Jinhwan interrupted him.

Junhoe looked up to see Jinhwan staring back at him with those glass bead eyes. His stomach flipped. “Yeah?”

A few students snickered and gasped at the rude way he addressed his elder. Jinhwan asked, “Do you have a question about my lesson? If not, maybe you should consider listening to it, if your current grades are anything to go by.”

Junhoe glared, hoping to turn Jinhwan to ice with his eyes and watch him explode from the pressure. Jinhwan was so fucking _sexy_ when he was bold.

-♥-

A few cherry blossoms were planted around campus, and their pink-petaled umbrellas provided a space for art majors from all sections of the field to come and draw inspiration from their natural beauty. Junhoe sat underneath one, writing in his notebook, and singing to himself, going over the quieter parts of the song he was practicing for his evaluation.

A shoulder knocked into his, startling him out of his reverie. What in the fuck? Disturbances were _illegal_ under the cherry blossom trees. Junhoe faced the offender with angrily furrowed brows.

Jinhwan looked back at him with a half-smile on his lips. “Hey,” he said. “Can I give you a ride?”

Oh – well that was forward. They had met up in the bathroom a few times, but this was new. He and Jinhwan never really planned anything beyond the acts of unethical passion.

Junhoe scanned the green campus grounds, mostly devoid of people, but still, quite risky. “Isn’t this spot a little too public for that?”

Jinhwan laughed. He stretched out a leg, resting his arm on his other knee. “I mean, can I give you a ride home?”

Wilted petals drifted down from the tree and landed around him like lifeless rain. The tree did not bloom for them.

“Do I have to pay you for the gas?”

“I’m not your sugar daddy, you know.”

“Is that a ‘yes’?”

Jinhwan sighed, but his smile held. “We’ll call this one a favour.”

“And I guess you expect me to return the ‘favour’, right?”

Jinhwan turned to Junhoe to look at him. Jinhwan’s eyes were wide and shining. Junhoe returned the gaze whilst dragging his capped pen over his bottom lip. He raised his eyebrows.

Jinhwan quickly led Junhoe to his car.

But when Junhoe saw the car, he barked a laugh that killed whatever urgency had arisen between them to get home. It was a fucking MINI Cooper. Jinhwan blushed and said, “Stop laughing, it was my sister’s car,” but that seriously did nothing to quell Junhoe’s laughter.

“And why should that make me stop laughing?” Junhoe voiced.

“Forget it,” Jinhwan said, “I revoke the offer to give you a ride.”

“Relax,” Junhoe said, opening the passenger door. Jinhwan rolled his eyes. “You could have at least warned me that your sister stole her car from one of the Mean Girls at North Shore.”

“It’s from the Bourne Identity,” Jinhwan countered, “now get in the fucking car.”

Junhoe gave a short laugh and slipped in the car, shutting the door behind him.

Jinhwan began to drive. After Junhoe gave his first direction, Jinhwan said, “So, what’s up with you lately?”

“School.”

“Sounds exciting.”

“Turn here.”

Jinhwan turned. “What were you writing about, under the tree?”

“Whatever came to mind.”

Jinhwan kept his attention on the road. After a moment of silence, he said, “The cold attitude doesn’t work for you, you know. You’re too obnoxious.”

“I’m not cold,” Junhoe said. “I just don’t want to talk to you.”

“It’s not my fault you can’t write a decent essay, Junhoe.”

Junhoe huffed. “Just stay on this road.”

They drove in relative silence after that. Jinhwan turned the radio on, sang along softly to a few songs. He had a sweet, candied sort of voice; tooth-rotting and hard to swallow after experiencing it for too long. Junhoe rested his head on the car window in an attempt to drown the sound out.

They pulled up to Junhoe’s apartment building. Junhoe muttered, “Thanks.”

Jinhwan placed his hand on Junhoe’s thigh. Junhoe swallowed thickly, shifted in his seat. Jinhwan’s palm trailed up his thigh. “You busy right now?”

Junhoe considered his workload. He could spare an hour. “Like, right now? No. But I will be soon.”

Jinhwan gave a short laugh. He brushed his hand over Junhoe’s hair, fixing his bangs. He pulled a cherry blossom petal out from the spiky nest of Junhoe’s hair and offered it to him. Junhoe accepted the petal and put it in his notebook. “Do you have a roommate?”

“Do you care?”

Jinhwan’s lips pulled into a ponderous frown, and he shrugged. “Not really. But I like privacy.”

Junhoe scoffed. “You jerked me off in the school bathroom.”

“With the door closed. And it’s not like I would have chosen it if I had another option.”

“But you did choose it.”

“You’re…” Jinhwan trailed off. He searched for his words. “You’re very hard to reason with.”

“I didn’t force myself on you. I’m just confident enough to get in your face.” Junhoe’s voice dropped to a growl. “And you love it.”

Jinhwan swallowed. His eyes were dark.

Junhoe tilted his head. “You love an excuse to call me a brat.” He leaned forward to expose his collarbones under the v-shaped neckline of his thin hoodie. “It gets you hot. You _want_ it.”

Jinhwan grabbed Junhoe by the back of his neck and crashed their lips together. Junhoe winced, wrinkled his nose and bit Jinhwan’s lip. Jinhwan pulled back with a startled gasp of air. He hissed, “You drive me crazy.”

Funnily enough, Jinhwan said those words in the exact same exasperated tone that everyone else used when they said that to Junhoe. He must have just mentioned it as a sidenote.

“So do you care about my roommate or not?” Junhoe asked. “He’s probably not home yet, but I don’t know. I have a lock on my bedroom door. Decide if that’s enough. And decide quickly, because you only have fifty-six minutes left until I’m busy.”

Jinhwan physically kicked Junhoe out of the car.

-♥-

Whenever Junhoe’s life began to spiral into irremediable fuckery, and he could no longer shut the world out with alcohol, he escaped to the café to help him cope and live through it.

He was at his usual spot, sunlight pouring in through the window. Junhoe basked in it, let it heat him from the outside in. His pencil rested uselessly against a page of his notebook. He was supposed to be writing a poem to release his pent up emotions. The only problem was that he could not find the right words to use. Writing is hard.

But most of this linguistic constipation was Jinhwan’s fault. He was a cloud around Junhoe’s brain.

He heard the clink of a cup of coffee against the wooden table.

“Thanks,” Junhoe grumbled.

Bobby was an alright guy. He worked with Donghyuk, and was apparently Donghyuk’s other best friend, having met through school or YG or something. This automatically put Junhoe and Bobby at odds, because they were unofficially competing in a blood-feud for Donghyuk’s attention, but it seemed that Bobby was capable of entertaining himself, and Junhoe was admittedly a narcissist, so he supposed there was enough leeway for them to co-exist.

Bobby asked, “You alright?”

Junhoe sighed. “I’m stuck on this assignment. What rhymes with ‘desolation’?”

After a moment of silence, Bobby said, “I’ll send Donghyuk over.”

Junhoe sighed deeply. “I wish I could thank you.”

Abruptly, Bobby gasped.

Junhoe, curious, turned around in his seat. He followed Bobby’s line of sight to a guy who had just walked in with his dog. “Who’s he?”

Bobby clued back in. “Oh,” he said. “Nobody. Hanbin.”

Junhoe turned to him with a raised brow. Bobby could only look at Junhoe from the corner of his eye, like the sun. Junhoe prompted, “So which one is he? Nobody, or Hanbin?”

“Hanbin,” Bobby answered, hastily. “But he’s nobody. I mean, not in a mean way. Just nobody to me. Yet.”

Junhoe raised his other eyebrow along with the first. So this was definitely a thing. It was even a mildly interesting thing.

Unfortunately, Bobby spared no further details. He simply ran off with his tail between his legs.

Before long, the platonic love of Junhoe’s life and the bane of his existence approached his table. Donghyuk said, “What.”

“Impeccable service,” Junhoe bitched. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I need help. You’re kind of smart, right?”

“Depends on what you consider ‘smart’. I’ve been an honours student since preschool, if that makes me smart enough to be of any use to you in this situation.”

After considering that, Junhoe concluded, “That’ll do.” Donghyuk let out a breathy laugh. Junhoe continued, “Can you help me with this poem? I need words.”

Donghyuk sat on the edge of the table and turned the notebook towards him. Junhoe sipped/chugged his coffee as Donghyuk read over the material he had thus far.

Donghyuk said, “So what’s the issue? Other than the fact it could be a reject MCR track.”

“I need a rhyming word.”

“Why? Doesn’t that restrict your artistic freedom?”

Junhoe crossed his arms. “What do I look like to you, a slam poet? I’ve never insulted your dancing. Take this seriously.”

Donghyuk sighed. He reread the words on the paper.

After pondering, which Junhoe appreciated for what it was worth, Donghyuk offered, “What about ‘loneliness’?”

“That’s basically the same thing.”

Donghyuk suggested, “‘Box’?”

“If you want me to fail this assignment, just tell me so I can stop wasting both of our time.”

“What about something like, ‘my heart is a box of loneliness’. That’s two rhyming words.”

Junhoe just sighed emphatically. He uncrossed his arms and pressed the tip of his pencil lightly to his paper. He made a halfhearted note of Donghyuk’s suggestion. “My romantic soul is a curse.”

“Why do you care so much about doing well on this?” Donghyuk asked. “Aren’t you sleeping with your TA?”

“I’m not sleeping with my creative writing TA, I’m sleeping with my vocal music TA,” Junhoe corrected. “And even if Jinhwan _was_ my creative writing TA, how would that get me a good mark?”

“Couldn’t you, like, fuck him for extra credit?”

“No? He’s nearly failed me twice already, even after I started sleeping with him. Jinhwan’s a total dick.”

“Then why are you sleeping with him?”

“That _is_ why I’m sleeping with him.”

Bobby approached Junhoe’s table. “Refill?” he asked. Junhoe sighed and nodded. He would need the caffeine to keep his brain working for the rest of the evening. Bobby smacked Donghyuk’s butt with a cleaning rag. “You heard the customer. Get back to work.”

“You can’t talk to your sunbae like that!” Donghyuk argued. “I raised you on my back! You didn’t even know what a soybean _was_ when you first got here!”

Bobby walked away, laughing to himself, as Donghyuk yelled, “I _made_ you!!”

Their melodrama lit a light bulb in Junhoe’s head. Junhoe exclaimed, “ _That’s it!_ ”

Donghyuk was annoyed with Bobby and Junhoe’s creative channel was cleared, so all was well. The café was a beautiful oasis in this cruel world.

-♥-

They lied together under Jinhwan’s blanket. Junhoe pulled the fabric over his naked chest – something about Jinhwan’s room was so… cold, despite the cinnamon red glow from the setting sun through his curtains. Maybe it was because Junhoe’s room was so filled to the brim with stuff, Jinhwan’s room seemed so empty in comparison. Junhoe felt like he had to snuggle. He felt too exposed.

Jinhwan rolled on his side and draped an arm across Junhoe’s chest. Jinhwan was warm.

Jinhwan smiled and said, “You know you can’t get comfortable. You can’t sleep over.”

Junhoe countered, “I wasn’t planning to.”

Still in a lighthearted tone, Jinhwan continued, “You gotta stop distracting me so I can grade these assignments.”

“Everyone’s assignments but mine, you mean,” Junhoe rebutted, “since you can’t grade my work to save your life.”

“I give you the grades you earn.”

Junhoe _humphed_. “I’m a good student. Your standards are just impossible.”

Jinhwan smirked. “Maybe I just don’t like you.”

Junhoe raised his eyebrows. “Isn’t that unethical?”

Jinhwan raised his eyebrows back. “And this isn’t?”

“If I had slept with you for any sort of gratification,” Junhoe said, “then why would I still be sleeping with you?”

Jinhwan gave him a hard shove. Junhoe overtly grinned.

Jinhwan asked, “So how are you doing in your writing class?”

“I’m doing amazing, and that should not surprise you.”

Jinhwan traced the indistinct outline of Junhoe’s pectoral muscles. “It doesn’t.”

Junhoe turned his head. In the dim, crimson light of the room, Jinhwan’s kiss-swollen lips looked dark as red roses.

Junhoe swallowed past a lump in his throat. Without thinking, he asked, “So… do _you_ have hobbies?”

Jinhwan looked up quickly, eyes wide. His expression was surprised and just… _touched_ by the question. Junhoe’s whole body felt fuzzy on the inside. 

Jinhwan’s petals did not hurt his stomach so much anymore.

-♥-

Junhoe’s afternoon nap ran a little late, as he overslept, because classes were hard, so he was a little late meeting up with Jinhwan. He could have forgone showering and spending an hour on his hair, but he refused to. With a flick of his now juniper-scented bangs, he grabbed his satchel and slung it over his shoulder, and headed out.

It was kind of surreal seeing Jinhwan sat in his favourite section of the café. It almost felt like Jinhwan had intruded upon a safe space. But he had not intruded, because he was invited here, which was weird in itself. His blond hair glowed against the sun like a halo. It was terribly misleading.

Junhoe found himself approaching the table slowly.

Jinhwan looked up from his tablet, and a smile crossed his face. Junhoe almost choked on a faint taste like apple on the back of his tongue.

Junhoe trudged over and plopped down in the seat across from Jinhwan.

Junhoe asked, “Why did you choose this table?”

Jinhwan responded, “I didn’t. Your friend Donghyuk said you like to sit here. Also, hi.”

Junhoe raised his eyebrows. “You know Donghyuk?”

“No, I just met him,” Jinhwan clarified, “but he seems nice. It makes me wonder how he ended up stuck with you.”

Junhoe shrugged. “Well… that _is_ why.”

“Ah. Actually, you’re right, I get it now.”

Junhoe huffed. This meeting seemed so much more romantic before it actually started.

“So…” Junhoe continued. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Junhoe gestured ineffectively around the table. “This.”

“I assume we’re getting coffee.”

“That’s all?”

Jinhwan ventured, “And a donut?”

Junhoe was probably glaring, although he did not mean for it to come off that way.

Jinhwan tilted his head. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at here, Junhoe. Is this still an attempt to rectify your marks?”

“I don’t want to talk about my marks,” Junhoe bit out, robotically.

Jinhwan sighed quietly and looked down at his hands.

Perhaps Junhoe should stop playing himself.

Or he could go down swinging.

“Did you order?” Junhoe continued.

“No,” Jinhwan said. “What’s good here?”

“I’ll do it,” Junhoe said. “Sit here.”

“What if I don’t like what you get me?”

“Good,” Junhoe said, and started off towards the counter.

He did not miss how Jinhwan’s lips pulled up into a half-smile as he resignedly slumped in his seat to wait for the drinks.

Junhoe draped himself over the counter and spoke, almost sighing every word, “Two lattes. Put a Sakura petal on top of them. I need to get across a message about the insubstantiality of the beauty that lives around us.”

“I don’t know what that means, I’m not a vegan,” Bobby said. “Wait your turn.”

Junhoe’s nose crinkled as he frowned.

“Maybe you could write her a poem, if you want her to ask you out.”

Junhoe turned to face the source of the voice. It came from a boy, about their age, with a fat yet weirdly adorable pug at his ankles. Oh, Junhoe remembered – this was nobody, and/or Hanbin. Hanbin, albeit fit as fuck, was also adorable in a weird, indiscernible way. Maybe it was his big eyes that messed with Junhoe’s perception.

Junhoe propped himself up on an elbow. He was never one to dance around a risk he would immediately face the consequences of. “Him.”

Hanbin asked, “Pardon me?”

“I want _him_ to ask me out.”

Bobby said nothing. It was quiet for a moment.

“Oh,” Hanbin finally said. “Well, my advice is the same. You just sound like you could communicate your feelings well through poetry.”

Bobby audibly exhaled.

So that was a good answer. Junhoe asked, “Are you into poetry?”

“I love it,” Hanbin nodded. “I really love philosophy and poetry. I’m training to be a lyricist and composer, so a background in both of those things is crucial to producing music, in my opinion.”

“ _Exactly,_ ” Junhoe exclaimed. “Finally, someone who _gets it_.”

Bobby stole Hanbin’s attention for a moment to ring up his order, and then Hanbin returned to his conversation with Junhoe.

Junhoe asked, “Are you in school?”

“I’m… with a company. Private lessons.”

“Ah,” Junhoe said. Same with Donghyuk. “I’m in college, but I’m studying with a focus on creative writing.”

“Good luck to you,” Hanbin said.

Junhoe nodded, “Same to you.”

“Here you go,” Bobby said, stealing Hanbin away again. It was so not fair that Bobby had to share all of Junhoe’s best friends.

“Can I help you with something?” Donghyuk asked Junhoe, sounding as though he hoped Junhoe would say ‘no’.

“Two lattes. Put a Sakura petal on top of them. If you need the spiritual explanation, ask later when your third eye is finally open, I’m tired of trying to get through to you.”

“Junhoe, why the fuck do you need to make Jinhwan eat a flower?” Donghyuk asked. “Can’t I just draw a flower in the foam?”

Junhoe sighed. “Sure. What more could I expect from a philistine?”

“Oh my god,” Donghyuk bitched. 

Junhoe did not quite know what they fought about after that, but he could not let Donghyuk have the last catty remark. It escalated to the point where Donghyuk exclaimed, _‘I’m so TIRED of you’_ and just started physically beating him with a baton of spinach.

Bobby made Junhoe his drinks. He even put Sakura petals on the drinks, but they were the ones that the café used to decorate cakes, and they were all dried up. This is not the sentiment Junhoe wanted. He took the withered flowers out of the drinks and left them on the counter to give Donghyuk an anxiety attack.

He carried the drinks back to the table and set them down. He gently pushed Jinhwan’s towards him.

“A cappuccino?” Jinhwan asked.

“A good cappuccino,” Junhoe corrected.

Jinhwan took a sip from the foam to decide that for himself. He smacked his lips and made a little satisfied sound. Junhoe wondered if and why he was ever doubted, and was both offended and placated by two consecutive situations he was not even sure happened. Junhoe lived in his own head a lot.

Jinhwan and Junhoe took a moment to enjoy the first few sips of their drinks in silence. Junhoe was not bothered by that. He liked silence. It helped him hear his own thoughts, which, as previously implied, he had a lot of.

Jinhwan made a half-decent companion when he was not talking.

“So,” Jinhwan said. “You like romance?”

Junhoe’s heart fluttered. “Yeah. Why?”

“Just…” Jinhwan shrugged. “It just crossed my mind.”

“Oh.”

They did not ask each other very many questions, nor did they offer very detailed responses to the questions asked. There was not a whole lot of substance to them past the petals and cyanide. And Junhoe did not want there to be. They were a cliché, and that was what they were supposed to be.

There was a natural curiosity between them that Junhoe was afraid of ruining by liking it too much. But man, it was tempting.

Junhoe kicked Jinhwan under the table.

Jinhwan jumped slightly, startled. “What was that for?”

“It’s sexy,” Junhoe explained. “It’s playful. Like kickboxing.”

“Footsie?” Jinhwan asked, as though he was confused by it.

Junhoe rolled his eyes. “It’s not sexy when you say it like that.”

Jinhwan smiled and shook his head. Junhoe sipped his coffee and crossed his arms. Jinhwan would just keel over in his old-man-automatic wheelchair if he was forced to live a little, huh?

Junhoe nearly gasped when he was kicked in the shin under the table. Eyes blown wide, he gawked at Jinhwan. Jinhwan smiled complacently.

Before long they were engaged in a heated battle of scuffing each other’s sneakers.

Jinhwan eventually captured Junhoe’s feet in between both of his. They sat like that for a little while, chatting about nothing, drinking coffee.

Junhoe grew tired of the position and kicked himself free. Jinhwan hissed a little in pain, reaching down to rub his ankle, but recovered.

Triumphantly, Junhoe drank his coffee and rolled his eyes, scanning the café, paying attention to anything but Jinhwan to assert that his victory was not even a big deal because Jinhwan was not a big deal. Junhoe cleared his throat and smacked his lips, looking down at his coffee as he placed it back on the table.

“Hey.”

Junhoe looked up.

Jinhwan was looking back at him. “You got something on your lip.”

Junhoe raised his eyebrows, inviting Jinhwan to either make him care or to do something about it. This was his cliché movie moment, and he would not squander it.

Jinhwan reached across the table and wiped Junhoe’s upper lip clean of foam with his thumb. He then caressed Junhoe’s cheek with the same hand and cupped Junhoe’s jaw in his palm.

His eyes were dazzling. Junhoe’s stomach was doing flips.

Jinhwan lowered his hand and nodded in the direction of the door. “Wanna get out of here?”

“Yeah,” Junhoe said. Dignity was an afterthought at the moment. Jinhwan stood up with a smile. Junhoe drank as much coffee as he could get down in a single gulp and led Jinhwan back to the car.

-♥-

Junhoe got a C on his mid-term vocal evaluation.

He damn near flipped his entire shit on the little goblin.

“It’s not about being a good singer, Junhoe,” Jinhwan said. Junhoe stood in front of his desk and fumed. “You’re not here to show off. You’re here to learn. I just wish you would let someone help you find your sound.”

“Can you _please_ ,” Junhoe seethed, “cut it out with the Confucius _bullshit_ for **_one_** second _?_ ”

“Fine,” Jinhwan said. “I noticed you were straining.”

Junhoe knocked a stack of papers off of Jinhwan’s desk and stormed out of the classroom.

-♥-

“I don’t know, man,” Junhoe said. He stirred his tea on the couch in the café.

Hanbin, that guy he met the other day, sat next to him. His fat dog sat next to both of them, on the floor, because Hanbin was afraid he would drool on the couch. Hanbin had gotten some ice cream for his dog and a smoothie for himself, and he was probably prepared to just leave, since Bobby had the day off, but he saw Junhoe on the couch and said hi, to which Junhoe replied, ‘So I’ve been going through some shit.’ and Hanbin leant a philosophical shoulder to cry on.

“It seems like you know what you want to write about,” Hanbin said. “You’re frustrated. You’re confused. Your feelings are all over the place. Right?”

“Why,” Junhoe pressed, “are you saying that like it’s easy to write about?”

Hanbin mumbled, “Sorry. Songwriting is my only creative outlet. It just happens.”

Junhoe sighed. _Like a headache, or a nightmare._

A boy walked up to the couch and asked, “Is this seat taken?”

Junhoe replied, genuinely curious, “Are you blind?”

The boy sat down, forcing Junhoe and Hanbin to scoot over. The boy smiled and said, “I’m Yunhyeong. I know Donghyuk. You’re his brooding friend, right?”

Junhoe said, airily, “‘Friend’ is a strong word. I think we’ve pack-bonded.”

“I’m Hanbin,” Hanbin said, smiling back. The two bowed to each other.

Chanwoo came over then and placed a cup of apple tea on the table in front of Junhoe. He also gave Junhoe a pat on the head. Junhoe halfheartedly batted Chanwoo away, and Chanwoo left while snickering quietly under his breath.

“What are you guys talking about?” Yunhyeong asked.

Junhoe narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing. “What’s your sign?”

Yunhyeong replied, “Aquarius.”

Junhoe approved. “Fine. But if you don’t have any good advice, I expect you to cry for me.”

Yunhyeong sat back on the couch, crossed his thighs, titled his tea cup to his lips, and signaled with his hand for Junhoe to continue.

-♥-

Junhoe slipped into Jinhwan’s car with practiced ease. Sidenote: he even kind of _liked_ the little pug of a car now – it was charming, in its own way. After the first ride home Jinhwan gave him, they both decided they should not rely on that as an excuse for long, lest someone important find out they did not even live in the same direction. So, Junhoe wore a mask and a thin hoodie. It was getting a little warm for hoodies of any thickness, but he did what he had to do.

“There’s a sushi place about twenty minutes away from campus,” Jinhwan said. “They have great vegetarian options. Want to join me for an early dinner?”

Junhoe raised his eyebrows. Was Jinhwan asking him on a date?

“Because I’m hungry,” Jinhwan said, as if reading his mind. “Relax, it’s not candlelit.”

Junhoe clunked his head on the window. “Why not find something around here?”

“I’d rather not run into anyone from here who recognizes me. They’ll think you’re getting special treatment.”

Junhoe deadpanned, “God forbid.”

Jinhwan smiled and tilted his head in Junhoe’s direction, giving him a look. “I could lose my position as a TA.”

“Please,” Junhoe scoffed. “You could sleep with the whole stage band and no one would care. If they haven’t dismissed you for being incompetent by now, they’ll never get rid of you.”

Jinhwan laughed. Junhoe did not. Junhoe was very funny, but rarely when he intended to be, and often when he was being perfectly serious.

“So,” Jinhwan asked, in English, “sushi or not sushi?”

Junhoe turned to face him. He feared his look of shock could not be concealed by the mask. Jinhwan smirked, complacently, in his direction.

“Was that Shakespeare? You know Shakespeare?”

Jinhwan gave a breathy laugh, shoulders shrugging with it. “Everyone knows Shakespeare.”

“You read?”

At that, Jinhwan’s smile fell at the corners, a tad displeased. “I prefer the movies, but that doesn’t mean I _can’t_ read, per se.”

Junhoe rolled his eyes and haughtily slumped in the passenger’s seat. “They’re plays.”

“Whatever,” Jinhwan said. “If I didn’t see it in a performance theatre, it’s a movie to me.”

“Culture weeps for you.”

“ _Weeping_ ,” Jinhwan said, dreamily. Junhoe looked over and saw Jinhwan leaning his head back on the headrest as if lost in thought. “Yeah. I prefer living in the age of chick flicks and rom-coms. Romances were a lot sadder back then, huh?”

Junhoe’s short chuckle was humourless. “Trust me,” Junhoe said, “romance is still tragic. I feel like stabbing myself because of this one guy every day.”

Jinhwan and Junhoe gave each other the same slightly amused, side-eyed _look_.

Jinhwan rolled his head forward again to look through the windshield. “You like romance, but you’re not a romantic, huh?”

“No,” Junhoe simply shook his head, “I am.”

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Jinhwan look at him again, but Junhoe just looked down at his hands, his fingers not quite interlocked.

Jinhwan said, “I still need an answer. You want sushi, or not?”

After a moment to just think quietly to himself about what he wanted, maybe not necessarily about food, Junhoe replied in the affirmative.

It was a nice place – plain and functional. The tables were wood and the colour scheme consisted of soft creams and browns. Paper lanterns were hung and small plants decorated the one-room restaurant.

Jinhwan and Junhoe sat in a booth. They ordered green tea to start.

The steam rising between them made Jinhwan seem almost silken. Ghostly. It seemed that Jinhwan existed to slip through Junhoe’s fingers. On one hand, he liked the resistance, the chasing game. On the other, he kind of just wanted Jinhwan to be someone he could hold onto.

Jinhwan’s existence was hot though, and Junhoe was very into that, despite anything else.

For a moment they just sipped their drinks in silence.

Then Junhoe asked, “Does this feel like a date?”

Jinhwan creased his eyebrows and looked around as if considering it. “The atmosphere is nice. I see how this could be perceived. But I’m almost positive the lanterns are electricity-powered.”

“Is this a date?”

Jinhwan gave a short laugh. “With you? I hope not.”

“You don’t think this is romantic, at all.”

“I didn’t even ask you out.”

Junhoe was sort of hoping Jinhwan would meet him halfway here. No, they never explicitly asked each other out, but Junhoe would not fight the notion that their hang-outs were dates. They could date and still keep up their little scandal. Junhoe would not mind being the center of someone’s attention, that was all.

“Yeah,” Junhoe said. “Guess that wouldn’t fit the concept.”

“Concept?”

“You know; I don’t like you, you don’t like me, you get tired of my attitude and bend me over your desk. That concept.”

“I hope the ‘desk’ in this explanation is a metaphor.”

“I prefer to think of it as a symbol. It’s interpretable.”

“I hope you don’t honestly expect that fantasy to come true, Junhoe.”

Junhoe stared blankly. “What is even the point of you, seriously?”

The waiter came around, and the two ordered their vegetable sushi. While waiting, they poked each other with the chopsticks (Junhoe did most of the poking) and talked about their palates, their likes and dislikes. They had quite a few things in common, sure, but Junhoe thought their conversations happened naturally regardless of their common ground. Often, their lack of common ground made the conversations more interesting.

Their meal carried on in the same way. Junhoe stole from Jinhwan’s plate and Jinhwan stole from Junhoe’s. It was more fun to think of it as stealing than sharing.

“So,” Junhoe said, “I assume you’re paying.”

“And why would you assume that?”

“You brought me here.”

“You didn’t even finish your soup.”

“I don’t feel like eating salty things today.”

“Well, I guess I’ll just drop you off at home, then.”

“Ha-ha. Very funny. I’ll just spit.”

Jinhwan placed a hand over his mouth, shocked, then curled his fingers into a fist. He stared wide-eyed at the table. Junhoe just sipped his tea.

After recomposing, Jinhwan suggested they each take their own bill. Junhoe made a face as though he disproved of that idea.

“Fine,” Jinhwan conceded. “I’ll pay. But you need to contribute a bit more to this relationship.”

“I offered to let you fuck me on your desk. You turned me down. I’m not sure what you expect me to do with these mixed signals.”

Jinhwan sighed. “Maybe you could stop being so cheap? I never asked for a prostitute.”

“I never asked for a stuck-up gremlin to make my academic life hell, yet here we are.”

“I honestly don’t know what you expect of me, Junhoe,” Jinhwan leaned back in his seat, resigned. “I’m doing my best here. I’m doing my job.”

“You’re doing more than your job. Unless I came with your benefits package.”

“I don’t know when you’ll understand that I’m not that kind of person.”

“Then what kind of person are you?” Junhoe questioned, crossing his arms. “Because you never had to fuck me, but I’m sure it makes punishing me in class more fun, right? And you wouldn’t have that if you weren’t my TA, and I wasn’t your toy.”

Jinhwan’s lips were downturned in anger. He flagged down the waiter to give him the bill, and when he received it, mindlessly dropped his money on the table.

“Bathroom,” Jinhwan growled. “Now.”

Junhoe scooted out of the booth and followed Jinhwan into the basement bathroom with dark frown of his own.

Jinhwan closed the door behind them. He checked all the stalls before he went off.

“What do you want from me?” Jinhwan demanded.

Junhoe scoffed a laugh and turned his head to the side to look away.

“No,” Jinhwan demanded. He placed his fingers on the side of Junhoe’s chin and turned his head back to face him. “Don’t avoid it. Just tell me what you want me to know.”

That was sweet. “You already know,” Junhoe said. “I want this, the way it is.” With a devious smirk on his lips, Junhoe sauntered a step forward. “You get on my nerves. Keeps things exciting.”

Jinhwan’s eyes softened. He stepped forward as well, hooking his fingers through the kangaroo pocket of Junhoe’s hoodie. “You’re not exactly sunshine and rainbows.”

“I thought you liked that,” Junhoe simpered. He bowed his head a little to submit. The sentiment was there – it was kind of hard when he was banging such a shortie. “Or do you need me to step it up?”

“Oh god,” Jinhwan finally smiled back. “You mean there’s an even _worse_ version of you?”

Junhoe winked and said, “Just for you. Asshole.”

They heard movement outside the door and stepped apart. The footsteps carried on to the women’s washroom.

Junhoe turned back to Jinhwan. Jinhwan sighed in relief. He palmed at the front of his jeans, at the spot where his dick tented them, as if annoyed and willing it away. He had nice little hips, nice thighs, nice everything, really. He was just a pretty guy.

Junhoe said, “I know you’re _my_ TA, but I bet you’d look good in a plaid skirt.”

Jinhwan looked up. Junhoe smirked.

Jinhwan swayed his hips as he walked back over to Junhoe, purposely playing along with him. Junhoe appreciated it. Jinhwan grabbed Junhoe’s pocket and pulled their bodies close once more. Jinhwan said, “You know what’s funny? I’m actually angry with you right now. I don’t know why that amuses me. I don’t know why I find you so… I don’t know, captivating?”

Junhoe made a pff sound, teasingly, and rolled his eyes. “I bet that’s what you said to all of them.”

“You’re insufferable.”

Now that – _that_ was just for Junhoe. He knocked his forehead against Jinhwan’s. It was softer than it probably should have been to be convincing. “Make me shut up, then.”

Jinhwan grabbed the back of Junhoe’s neck and pulled him down. And when he kissed Junhoe, it was… slow. It was so slow and encompassing that Junhoe lost a grip on his thoughts and let Jinhwan take over. His eyelashes fluttered despite the fact that his eyelids had fallen shut, and his hands hovered awkwardly around Jinhwan’s sweater at the waist. Junhoe only felt the fabric as a wispy tickle of wool against the pads of his shaking fingertips. When Jinhwan pulled back, Junhoe fell forward, in perfect time, so as he chased the kiss, their lips stayed ever-so-slightly connected.

Junhoe was silent. And fucked.

-♥-

“Wow,” Donghyuk marveled. “So you had sex in the basement of a sushi restaurant?”

Junhoe was laying face-down on Donghyuk’s bed. He mumbled, “Of course not. It was a public restroom. We just jerked each other off so we didn’t have to go outside with boners.”

“Romance is dead and you killed it,” Donghyuk responded.

“It was kind of sexy. We had to keep quiet, so Jinhwan had his hand over my mouth the whole time.”

“Wow, a whole six seconds of you not talking? You’re right, that is hot. That’s my new kink.”

Junhoe got his thoughts back on track. “Am I screwing myself over?”

“Oh, in at _least_ three sectors of your life, and on four different planes of existence.”

“Am I screwing myself over by screwing Jinhwan?”

“You know this wouldn’t even be a problem if you didn’t want to have his little vocal TA babies,” Donghyuk replied.

“How could I not?!” Junhoe demanded, lifting his face off the mattress to give Donghyuk a wide-eyed, imploring _look_. “He’s the worst person I’ve ever met.”

Donghyuk sighed into his almond milk café au lait like he was waiting to understand it all but prepared to give up if necessary.

-♥-

They were alone in the music class. The room was open after school to students who wanted to use the instruments to study. As two people could not really play two different pieces at the same time, instruments could be taken out of class and borrowed, or each person would get about a half hour of study time.

Jinhwan played the piano, soft hands dusting over the keys and producing soft sounds in slow movements. Junhoe sang along, back straight, taking care to breathe. He had warmed up, practiced bridging his chest and head voice. When the note was too difficult for him to hit, he switched to head voice. He would practice dynamics later.

Jinhwan sang a soft harmony at some points of the song.

Junhoe watched Jinhwan’s fingers move, deft and delicate.

Jinhwan and Junhoe ended on the same final note.

“Wow,” Jinhwan said. “That was good.”

Junhoe could have made a snippy remark here, could have defended himself, could have whined. He just snuffled and looked down at his hands.

Jinhwan rested his head on Junhoe’s shoulder. Junhoe didn’t hate it.

-♥-

They decided to watch Romeo and Juliet (1996). Junhoe stuffed Jinhwan’s mouth with popcorn whenever he tried to make a dumb, uncultured comment.

“Jun- _HOE_ ,” Jinhwan yelled through a mouthful of popcorn. “You’re going to choke me.”

“Hot.”

Jinhwan tackled him to the couch, and after swallowing his popcorn, kissed Junhoe hard. Junhoe grabbed Jinhwan’s ass and squeezed it. Jinhwan straddled his thigh and grinded on him.

They abandoned the ending credits to push each other into the bedroom. They did not intend to last long, and it was already late at night, might as well just get it done. Jinhwan lathered lotion onto his hand, onto Junhoe’s cock, and grinded against him in his lap until Junhoe came hard between them, lips parted as he panted through it, hands bruising Jinhwan’s pretty waist, and Jinhwan followed and spilled on his stomach.

Junhoe grabbed Jinhwan by his hair and pulled him in for a rough kiss. Jinhwan kissed back, then shoved Junhoe away by his face and knocked him onto the bed. Junhoe landed with a bounce and smiled.

“Come on,” Jinhwan prompted, climbing out of bed. “Clean up. Use the bathroom.”

“You’re so _prissy_.”

Jinhwan got Junhoe into the bathroom to clean up. Jinhwan had his whole ‘nightly ritual’ to do though, so Junhoe let him do that while he went back the fuck to bed.

Jinhwan returned to the bedroom in a red, silk robe, carrying a glass of wine in his hand.

“You can’t stay,” Jinhwan said. “I have homework.”

Junhoe laughed. “You are such a fucking cliché.”

“How do you mean?”

“The robe, the wine, the round, intellectual glasses. The twink in your bed. You’re a classic post-secondary professor.”

Jinhwan placed his wine and glasses on the nightstand. “I’m a TA. If I was a professor, I would definitely not be sleeping with you. I would never abuse my power like that.”

“I never said you were a professor. I said you’re a perfect example of one.”

Jinhwan gave a soft laugh and shook his head.

Junhoe continued, “What if you were already sleeping with your student before you became a professor, and then they just turned out to be your student after?”

“But that’s not the situation.”

“Humour me.”

“Why are you so enamoured with the idea of me being a professor?”

“You’re avoiding the question. Why does romance scare you?”

Jinhwan rolled his eyes. He sat in bed next to Junhoe. “I would stop sleeping with them until they were transferred out of my class. It’s not ethical. Why are you so concerned? Even if I do become a professor, you’ll be graduated by then.”

“Why did you assume I was talking about me?”

“What?”

“I asked if you would sleep with your student. I never said that student was me. Do you picture us still sleeping together by the time you become a professor or something?”

Jinhwan was silent on that.

Junhoe continued, “Am I that good?”

Jinhwan smiled. He dropped his robe, crawled under the blanket and draped his arm over Junhoe’s stomach. The red aura of the room tasted sweeter now.

Junhoe kissed Jinhwan’s head to send him off to sleep.

Junhoe awoke to morning sunlight streaming in through the curtains.

Jinhwan was slightly disheveled – hair mussed up, skin puffy and slightly discoloured. He wrinkled his brows as he woke up. It was ridiculously cute.

His eyelashes fluttered. His eyes stayed open when they registered the image of Junhoe.

In a groggy morning voice, and with a smirk on his lips, Junhoe asked, “Did you finish your homework?”

Jinhwan lifted his hand and smacked Junhoe’s chest with the vigor of a drowsy teddy bear, and he giggled.

Junhoe wrapped his arms around Jinhwan to cuddle him. Jinhwan attempted to push himself out of Junhoe’s hold to get out of bed, but Junhoe dragged him back down.

“Junhoe,” Jinhwan grumbled. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

Junhoe gently pushed Jinhwan’s cheek towards his lips and pressed a kiss to the grumbly boy’s face. He held his lips there for a few long seconds. When the kiss was over, Jinhwan just lied still for a moment. Then he shifted, turned his face to meet Junhoe’s and pressed their lips together, chaste and mindful of morning breath. Junhoe’s eyes fell shut.

Jinhwan pulled away. Junhoe did not think he would tire of this, of their game, of _them_ , ever, over the course of his whole life.

Jinhwan pulled Junhoe by his wrist to the bathroom. He even gave Junhoe a toothbrush to either _‘keep or leave here, it doesn’t matter’_. Junhoe already had a toothbrush at home, so, he chose to leave this one here.

When they were done, Junhoe pulled Jinhwan by his wrist back to the bedroom. Junhoe plopped down on the bed to sit, but Jinhwan resisted. “Junhoe, don’t get comfortable. We both have class today.”

Junhoe looked at the clock on the nightstand. “It’s not even seven in the morning, relax.”

“You’re not even supposed to be here. Why are you still here?”

“Why did you let me stay?”

Jinhwan went silent. There was always silence between them.

Junhoe decided to just break it, because what the hell, he had wanted to go somewhere from nowhere for a while now. “You like me.”

“I—”

“And I like you.”

Jinhwan stared.

Junhoe shrugged, “I don’t mean for it to ruin anything. I just wouldn’t mind if we both knew.”

Jinhwan could not fight the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

He said, “Okay, I like you.”

“Great,” Junhoe said. He tugged on Jinhwan’s wrists. “Now call me a brat and ruin my day.”

Jinhwan laughed. “Sounds hot.”

“Definitely hot.”

Jinhwan crawled into Junhoe’s lap and pushed him down.

-♥-

On the couch in the café, Junhoe, Jinhwan, and Yunhyeong squished together and played cards while discussing Jinhwan’s time in Maui. Jinhwan cuddled up to Junhoe’s side, and Junhoe felt pleasantly protective. Like, he would not get weird and possessive with Jinhwan, and he was not sure how well he would fare in a duel for Jinhwan’s hand in marriage or something, but he did like the feeling that he was Jinhwan’s comfort.

Suddenly, Bobby’s voice said, “Head’s up!”

Jinhwan looked up and held his hands at the ready. Bobby threw a to-go box in Jinhwan’s direction. Jinhwan caught it. Admittedly, the stellar hand-eye coordination was hot, but he did not want to think that too loudly, lest Chanwoo hear him, telepathically, and have something over him.

“Nice!” Donghyuk complimented from a few tables over. “Cute, educated, _and_ athletic!”

Jinhwan sighed. “I also have a personality...”

Junhoe blew a breath out of his lips to fluff his own bangs and slipped an arm around Jinhwan’s shoulders. He did not have to say it out loud to say, _‘Yeah, whatever, babe.’_ Yunhyeong grumpily snatched his scone out of Jinhwan’s hands, dusting off the now slightly crinkled box.

Bobby smiled and turned around to head back to the counter. It was almost time for closing.

“Yah!” Yunhyeong called. “Employee! Before you go, clean our table.”

Bobby turned around and held his hands out. “Song, I’m open!”

Yunhyeong bitchfaced. Junhoe picked up the cup instead. Jinhwan said, “No, June,” but the impulse control was too little too late, because Junhoe had already chucked the empty cup in Bobby’s direction.

Bobby ran to catch the dish, but in doing so, rammed his shoulder into Hanbin’s. The two bumped noses. The cup hit the floor and smashed.

Junhoe just kind of stared at the catastrophe. He was frozen in time. He did, however, wholeheartedly accept the scene that had unfolded. This seemed like a reasonable consequence.

Donghyuk walked over to him and said, “Sir, I’m afraid I have to ask you to leave.”

Junhoe grumbled. He put a couple hundred won in Donghyuk’s hand and trudged out of the café. Jinhwan followed with a hand on Junhoe’s back.

On the sidewalk outside the café, heading down the path, Jinhwan spoke. “So,” he said. “Where to now?”

Junhoe turned to Jinhwan, surprised that was all he had to say. Yunhyeong certainly had more to bitch about in the background.

Jinhwan’s honey eyes just glistened at him. His pink lips were soft and sweet and smiling. He entwined his arm through Junhoe’s and held him close. Junhoe’s lips tingled. He wanted to kiss the sweetness off of Jinhwan’s lips.

As the song goes, they were not spring, love, or cherry blossoms. But they were something. Something sweeter. Maybe something better.


End file.
